Sugar refiner and scraper or unloader therefor



` June 2, 192,5.v

M. c. MEIKLE SUGAR EFINER AND SCRAPER OR UNLADER THEREFOR Filed No. 2l. 1921 S'She'ets-Sheet 1 f June' 2, 1925. 1,540,645

M. c. MEIKLE SUGAR REFINER AND SCRAPER OR UNLOADER THERFFOR Filed Nov, 21, 1921 s sheets-sheet a o o oo o ooo o o 72 0 0 g o o o 00 M n o o 00o 'Q oon o n o o o O 0 non o o 0 o o u 0 o con 2 o 0 u o u o Maw-7526,

June 2, 1925. 1,540,645

` M. c. MEIKLE SUGAR REFINER AND SCRAPER OR UNLOADER THER-EFOR Filed Nov. 21 1921 5 sheets-sheet 'PM2/55- r Chroma?,

Junez, 1925. 1,540,645

M. C. MEIKLE SUGAR REFINER AND SCRAPER OR UNLADER THEREFOR Filed Nov. 21, 1921- 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 l/ZZEZZZS,

June 2, 1925. `1,540,645

M. C. MEIKLE SUGAR REFINR AND SGRAPER OR-UNLOADER THEREFOR Filed Nov. 21. i921 5 sheets-sheet 5 Patented June 2, 1%?25.

i l Unirse' sraras Mannion o.

rfArENr oFFiCE. 4

iiiniifziin,` or New ORLEANS, Louisiana, Assienon or oNE-HALFHTQ Winnaars WASHINGTQN, on NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA;`

'SUGAR REFILNEB. AND SCR-APE@ DE UITLOADER THEREFOR.

Appiicaiiba aieaiiovember ai, i921. semi No. 516,717.

To all fio/0m it may concern:-

Be it known that I, Mannion C. MEIKLE, a subject of Great Britain, Jamaica, B. W.

l., residing at New Orleanainthe parishof' lining machine isv filled and emptied indi- Cil vidually, necessitating an operator foreach machine. `After the sugar is dried or refined, it has to be scraped from the sides of the basket vto the bottom and discharged, and in conducting this work. the attention of an `operator is required at each refining machinewhile it is being filled, in order to prevent overloading. This makes it practically im ossible for the operator to attend to more t an twobaskets at a time.

Therefore, the present invention has for its purpose the provision of a ycentrifugal refining machine, so constructed, that it is possible to so connect up a gang of machines, that a singleoperator can load or fill the gang in one operation without any danger of overloading the centrifugal thereb vsaving time `and expediting the work.`

r `Still another purpose is the provision of a discharging or scraping mechanism, s o constructed that `as the centrifugal basket rotates, a scraper may feeddownwardly, so as to `clean the sugar from the entire 'inner surface kof the basket, and discharge it through an `opening in the bottom of the basket. In this wav the work of emptying the centrifugal basket is greatly facilitated. A further purpose is the provision of a brake mechanism for the drive sha-ft of lthe centrifugalbasket, for the purpose of. retarding the same, when the centrifugal basket is being loaded or filled withsugar to beV refined. r r

Additionally the invention aimstoprovide a rotating shaft with which the basket revolves, the shaftbeing mounted upon a universal joint, so that in case the shaftv `becomes unbalanced, theshaft is capable of lateral play or movement.

. While the designy and construct-ion at Vas .defined V`in .they appended claims.

. Figure 9 is `a present illustrated and set forth are deemed preferable, it is obvious that :as a resultof a reduction of the invention to a more practical form for commercial purposes, the in! vention may be susceptible of changes,` which are within thescope of this invention The invention c comprises further features and combination of .parts, as willbefhere-. inafter. set forth, shown in the drawings and claimed. f In Vthe drawings f Figure 1 is a plan view Showing.

vof centrifugal sugar refining machines connected up so that all of theniachinesmay be loaded or filled simultaneously; l. Figure 2 is a side Velevation ofthegang of centrifugal sugar refining machines, also showing their connectio ns;' v 5 Figure 3V lis ar vertical Figure 7 is also a view in elevation of the l casiiigshown in Figure 6;

i Figure 8v is adetail perspective view of the brake mechanism for. the basket supportving shaft `v between two of theshafts-ofthe brake mech7 Vanism';` 2 Y f Figure 10 isa detailperspective view `of one of they valves for permitting the sugar to discharge from the tank;

Figure 11 is a detail view of the means for 'iiaing the @mantova of the` bottom of 'the centrifugal basket; and V Figure 12 is a detailperspective View of the scraper. and its holder.' l

. Referring to the drawings, 1 designatesa 7 trough adapted tocontain raw sugar from the sugar boiler. This trough extends over a` gang of sugar reningmachines. The botseotional View` through the improved centrifugal sugar ref fiiiing machine; showing the unloaderfor f detail view of the gearing r ico vtom ofthis trough is provided With a plurality of chutes 2 which extend down to a series of tanks 3. Theretherchutes 2 connect with the tanks 3 openings 4 are pro vided. VA slide 5 is mounted in guides between all of theA chutes andl the several tanks 3. This slide has a plurality of valves 7 correspondingin location to thelocation ofthe chutes. TheseA valves 7 have openings 8, which, when the slide is shifted in one direction register withthe openings 4, to permit the raw sugar from the trough 1 to enter the tanks 3 silnultaneously. In this way the work of filling the tanks is greatly facili-k tated,'as this' can be accomplishedby asingle operator, and in one operation. To this end a shaft 9 is mounted in bearings 10 and 11,

Y flow'.

lthe former being carried by the casing of the centrifugalreiining machine, while the latter are carried bythe tanks3, andisprovided witha gear'orpinion 12'meshingvwith teeth onthe slide 5, Aso thatfwhen the shaft is rotated lthe 'slide is reciprocated, and the Vopenings therein simultaneously caused to register with the openings 4 of the tanks 3,

allowing the raw sugar to `pass from' the trough 1 into' all of the tanks at` one time.

A handwheel 13 is carried by the vshaft 9, wherebythe shaft' maybe rotated. v"Each of the tanks3 is provided with a glass or other transparent .covered observationI opening. i Y .u

y Mounted in suitable guides 14 at the intersection of the. chutes or spouts 15 with the tanks is a slide 16, whichis also provided with a plurality of valves 17 having openings 18, adapted to 'register with the chutes or spouts 1 5, topermtthe sugarfrom the tanks'3 to pass through' the chutesorv spouts, and into the corresponding 'centrifugal sugar relining baskets 19.V The slide 16 is provided with rack teeth 20, engaged by the'pi-n-ion 21, which is mounted upon a shaft 22. This shaft 22 is mounted innbearings y23 and 24, and is provided with a p handwheel 25, whereby the slidelv may be adjusted..

4 Each sugar reningmachine comprises a stationary casing .26, the bottom of which is open as shown at 27 to permit the sugar" to 19. y'In detail the lower portion of the wall i of the casing'26'is outwardly turned, and

then inwardly and upwardly turned terminating in a flange 23. -The upturned margin 29 of the flange 23 is provided for the" purpose of preventing the syrup'from overflowing` as it enters the channel'pformed bythe flange as the centrifugal basket rotates. The syrup, is allo-wed to passV off throughthe pipe 30, which may be provided with a valve (not shown) for the y' purpose of controlling the A 'longitudinal beam 311vsup-ports 'the basket of each.centrifugahand passing upwardly through the'beams are the 'main hangers or supporting rods 32 for the sev- Vingwflanges 50 bolted togetherat 51.

cas1ngs`47 enclos-ethe covers 42, which sur-Y eral ccntrifugals. The upper ends of these hangers 32 terminate in balls or spherical members 41, about which covers 42 of rubber or the like are provided to permit the hangers to'yield laterally. Beams 33 carry the upper ends of the hangers 32, and carried from the beams are the housings 37,the bottoms of which khave openings 39, for the reception of the rotating tubular shafts 40, which have annular flanges 43 in engage-- ment with ball 'bearings 44. These ball bearings are supported in a raceway 45 in a plate 4G, so that the tubular shaft 40 may rotate freely. The stationary supporting hangers 32 pass through the tubular hangers 40, the upper ends of shafts 40 terminating portions of the balls or spherical members 41. AHanger kbolts 34u pass through the beams 33 and through the housing 37, and their lower ends terminate in spherical hollow casings 47. Each casing 47 consists of two semi-spherical sections 48, and 49 havrThe round the balls or spherical members 41, and in this way the sationary hangers 32 are supported, these stationary .shafts 32 each supporting a centrifugal. The balls or spherical members do not rotate, and should the beams 33 become distorted or twisted or tilted the inner stationary hangers 32 will still remain vertical, and there-fore the machine as a whole will automatically bal- Y ance. `This constructionallows the shaft to rock. whenit is unbalanced." This happens if theamount ofV sugar in ithe centrifugal is higherA on one side than on thev other. Itwill be noted vthat the lower. portions ofthe casings 47 terminate in outwardly and downwardly turned flanges 47, which overlie the flanges 43, and thereby, protect the ball bearings 44. Arranged above the top of the housing 37 are oil cups 52, which are provided with oil conducting tubes 53, which extend downwardly and enter the flanges 47 of the casings 47, so as to feed lubricant to the Vinterior of the lower part ot the casingl y This lubricant also -liows about thev ball bearings 44. The plate 46 vhas an upstanding flange 54,' to retain the lubricantand prevent it from overflowing into the interior of the housing.

` Vashers y35 are engaged with the upper 'ends of the" hanger bolts 34, upon which are threaded. the',` nuts 34, which support the hanger bolts in place. Where the hanger bolts merge into the casings 47, a suitable shoulder 34h. is' provided. to engage the under surface of the top of the housing 37, to insure rigidity.

Mounted upon and rotatable with the vtubular shaft 40 is a brake pulley or drum 55, aboutfwhich a brakeband 56 engages. The inner surface of the brake band is provided with a plurality of libre or wood sections 57, which are secured to the band in any suitable manner (not shown). .Thesel fibre or wood sections bear upon the periphery of the brake pulley or drum, and thereby act to retard the tubular shaft l0 in its revoluble movement. One end of the brake band is attached at 58 to a beam 59, and connected to its other end is a rod 60, which is attached to the short arm of a bell crank lever 61, (see Figure 8) which is pivotally supported at 62 onV an arm 63 of the housing 37. A cable 64 passes over a pulley 65, supported above the relining machine as shown in Figure 2 in any suitable manner, and is attached to the long arm of the bell crank lever 61. Mounted in bearings 66 below the refining machine is a horizontal shaft 67, and mounted upon one end thereof is a drum 66,about which the cable 64 is wound and is attached thereto. a worm wheel 69, meshing with the vworm 70 carried by the lower end of a shaft 71. This shaft 71 is mounted in suitable bear-- ings 72 which are carried upon the side of the casing 26 of the relining machine, and mounted upon the upper end of thev shaft 71 `is a hand wheel 73. By rotating the wheel 73, motion is` imparted to the shaft 67, which in turn winds the cable or cord 64C on the drum 68 suiiioiently to tilt all of the levers 61, causing the slices 57 of all the brake bands to be vtrictionally applied against the peripheries of the ybrake drums 55, thereby retarding the rotation of all of bottom is provided with diametrically .op-V

posite openings 75, through which the sugar after being dried and refined may beV discharged. The central portion vof the bottom of the centrifugal basket 19 has a bearing' plate 76 whichis mounted upon ball. bearings 77 which engage a plate 7 8, which in turn is also mounted upon the ball bearings 79. l The ball bearings 79engage between the plate 7 8 and the bearing beam 31. In thisway the centrifugal basket rotates freely.

A conical cover 86 is arranged on the bottom of the centrifugal basket, so that its larger end may cover the diametrically opposite openings 7 5, thereby preventing the The other end of the shaft 67 carries sugar from being 'discharged until it is'` thoroughly reiined and dried. It will be noted'thatthe cover 8O lits around the tubular shalt, and its upper smaller end has an the top of the casing 26, and extend across the opening of the top of the casing 26. A second ring S6 is connected to the upper ends of the rods 83, and connected to the ring are cables 87. These cables are wound upon the drums 66, which are rotatable with the shaft 9. Obviously `assuming that thel lower valve 17 isclosed, the shaft 9 may be rotated so as to shitt the slide .so as to permit all the tanks 3 to be lilled'irom the trough 1, and while this is `being accom-kr plished, the refined and dried sugar in the centrifugal basket is discharged. Therefore when the shaft 9 is rotated to open .com-l munication between the trough `1 and the tanks 3, the conical cover 8() issimultaneously raised, uncovering the openings 75 allow-` ing` the discharge of the dried and refined sugar.l S a f s Thereafter when the raw. sugar-enters the centrifugal basket 19, power is transmitted tothe tubular shaft 4l() through the medium. of the pulley 89, which is keyed fast to the tubular shaft. Suitable belting (not shown) may be passed from one pulley 89 on one machine, to a corresponding pulley on an adjacent machine, and so on throughout a series thereof, so asto impart movement to all oi' the baskets at one time. The raw sug .i solution is deposited by centrifugal iforce` upon the perforated' cylindrical side any suitable manner to the inner surface ot beams 8a. is av beam' 92,`andfmounted in y bearings of the beam 92 and the horizontal` arm ci' the bracket 9151's the screw 90. Suitable c'ollars or nuts 9? are-fast to the upper part of the screw 90,v one below the beam 92 and one aboveI it, so'a's to holdthe screw 96 Vswi'ielly in its-bearing o the beam 92. The upper end of the screw has a bevel gear 94, which meshes with `a bevel gear 95 carl ried by a shait 96, which is mounted in bearings 97. This shaft 96 has a hand wheel 98, by the rotation of which revoluble movement may be imparted to the screw. A. scraper bladeholder 99 has a cylinder 100, to vwhich the screw 90 threads, s0 that when the screw 90 is rotatedI in one direction or the other, the scraper blade holder 99 feeds upwardly or downwardly on the screw.

*The holder 99 has a channel or cavity 101 for the reception of the wood scraper blade 102, there being a set screw 103 for holding the blade in the holder. The holder has an additional cylindrical portion 104, through which a rod 105 passes. The lower end of this rod is connected in any suitable manner to a lower scraper 106, which is oscillatably mounted at 107 on the lower end of the screw. fixed thereto an arm S, to which an arm 109 of the bell crank lever 110 is pivotally connected at 111. The bell crank leve-r 110 is pivoted at 112 on the top Vof the casing 26, and its short arm is provided with an upstanding projection 113, between the forks 1111 of which, a link 115 is pivoted. rlhis link 115. is in turn pivotally connected to a lever 116, which is pivotally mounted at 117 on one of the bearings 72. rAs previously stated the rodl 105 passes through the Y holder 99, obviously the holder is permitted to move downwardly on the rod, yet the scraper is permitted to be swung laterally in eithe direction on the screw 90 as a fulcrum, regardless of the height of the scrape-r within the basket. It will benotedthat the screw 90 is eccentric to the center of the basket, therefore since the scraper has a shorter radius than the radius from the center of the basket to the outer wall of the basket, the scraper will move away from the inner cylindrical surface of the wall ofthe basket, when the lever is tilted in one direction. ,Vhenthe lever 116 is tilted inthe opposite direction, the scraper will move into contact with the inner wall of the basket.

In the operation of a gang ofsugar refining machines, it will be noted that the operator may rotate the shaft 9 operate the upper sli-de 5 Yand thereby open a series of valves, allowing the raw sugar solution from the trough 1 to enter the series of tanks After the tanks 3 are filled, power may be transmitted to the centrifugal baskets 19, and as soon as they receive movement, the

lshaft 22 may be rotated, imparting longitudinal movement to `the slide 16, thereby opening all of the lower valves of the several tanks 3, allowing the raw sugar solution in the tanks to enter the centrifugal baskets simultaneously. The lower valves are then closed. The centrifugal baskets rotate causing the solution to deposit upon the perforated walls of the' baskets 19, the syrup drainingl off into the channel at the lower part of the casingv26, 'and when the sugar eco'mesthoroughly dried and refined, the baskets are stopped. However while the baskets are rotating the `scraper is swung into a lateral position on the. screw 90 which acts as a vfulcruin,with the scraping` edges,

The upper end of the rod 105 hasv armo-,c454

of the Scrapers 102 out of contact with the walls of the baskets. Just as soon as the baskets are stopped, theoperator manipulates the lever 110 to move the scraper 102 so that its edge will engage ordig into the is being accomplished, every so often imparts movement to the wheel 98 which in turn will-operate the shaft 96, and thereby rotate the screw 90 causing the scraper holder to gradually` descend, until the entire inner .surface of the cylindrical' wall of the casing is scraped of the deposits of sugar, lllhile the centrifugals are being scraped out the shaft 9 is rotated, so as to again operate the upper slide and open the uppery valves, filling the tanks 3. When the shaft- 9 .is rotated, it winds up the cables 87, which lift up the ring 86 and the ring S2, thereby lifting the cover S0,-uncovering tbe diametrically opposite openings 75. llhile `the openings kD75 are uncovered and the/s, iing process is being accomplished, the strip 105 tends to feed the sugar toward the center so that it can discharge through the openings, where it may be deposited in any suitable receptacles `v(not shown); y

l lWhen thelishaft is lrotated the opposite directionso as to close the upper valves, thecover S0 will be lowered to again close the' opening 7 5. Then the lower valves are openedr` byoperatingv the shaft 22 and each of the baskets receivesgits charge from the corresponding tank 3.

It will be seen that therek is a simultaneous discharge of sugar from the trough 1 into each of the tanks 3 while the several centrifugals are being cleaned or discharged,Y and that the act of lowering cover SOopei-ates thevalves which control the discharge of sugar from the trough 1 into the tank 3. tank 3 its properchargeof crude sugar and then by opening all of the `valves controlling the flow of sugarfrom the tanks to the cen- .trifugals, the sugar will flow from the several tanksr into tne centrifugals or baskets at one time. It, is obvious that with my mechanism all of the machines may beretarded at one time to refeive the sugar from the several tanks 'all of theftanks may be filled at one time whilethe centrifugals are being` operated and that all of the machines may be cleaned at one time. Thus onev operator can attend to a plurality of machines with nov more trouble than at the present time an operator can attend to one machine It will likewise be noted that the suspension .means which l have provided foreach centrifugal is such as `will permit of the baskets swinging so as to compensate This gives eachk Vwith this construction for a greater load on one than is on the other.

TWhile the scraping process may be conducted on each machine separately, I have illustrated means whereby it may be accomplished on all of the machines simultaneously, said means consisting of bevel gears 118 upon the shaft 120, said beveled gears being in. turn in mesh with the beveled gears 941 which actuate the screw shafts 90 of the several tanks whereby when the shaft 96 is rotated by the hand wheel 98 all of the sci'apers will be fed downwardly.

The invention having been set forth, what is claimed is:

1. In a centrifugal sugar refining inacliine, a rotatable basket having a discharge opening in its bottoni, a vertically movable cover normally closing said opening, a charge tank adapted to discharge into the top of said basket and having a valve controlling the discharge, a receptacle adapted to discharge into the top of the tank, a valve controlling said discharge, manually operable means for permitting or preventing the discharge of material from the tank into the basket, and manually operable means movable in one direction to prevent the `discharge of material from the receptacle into the tank and simultaneously lowering the cover into position over the discharge openings of the basket or movable in the other direction to open communication between the tank and said receptacle and simultaneously raise said cover. Y

2. ln a sugar refining machine, a gang of rotatable baskets each open at their upper end and having a discharge opening at its lower end, a vertically movable cover disposed within the basket and normally disposed over said discharge opening, a plurality of charge tanks arranged to discharge each into a. corresponding basket, a valve for each tank adapted, when shifted, to permit or prevent the discharge therefrom, a single manually operable means for simultaneously controlling the discharge valves of all of the tanks, a single receptacle discharging into the several tanks, valves controlling the discharge from said receptacle, and single means for simultaneously openside of the basket ing all of said valves and simultaneously raising all of said covers or simul-taneously closing all of said valves and closing all'of said covers.

3. ln a sugar refining machine, a centrifugal basket having an opening in its bottom, a driving shaft for the basket passing centrally therethrough, a conical cover adapted when lowered to close the opening at the bottom of the basket and when raised to uncover said opening, a tank discharging into the upper end of the tank, a manuually operable valve controlling the discharge from the tank, a receptacle discharging itno the upper end of the tank, a'inanuA ally operable valve controlling the discharge Y'rom said receptacle and including a transraising of the cover and the opening of thev valve permitting the discharge of material from the receptacle into the tank, anda reverse rotation of the shaft lowering the cover and closing said valve.

l. In a sugar refining machine, an outer p Y fixed casing having an inwardly extending flange at its lower end formed to provi-de an annular syrup trough, a basket disposed within the trough and having perforated walls, a beam extending above the casing, a hanger having a' nearly globular socket formed at its lower end and connected to said beam, a fixed shaft having a globular Vretarding the rotational movement of the basket, means for scraping thesugar collected on said walls and causing its discharge comprising a screw passing vertically downward into the basket, a scraper on the lowerl end of the screw mounted for oscillating movement therearound, the scraper having screw-threaded engagement with the screw for vertical movement and having rotational movement around the screw, the scraper being adapted, when shifted in one direction, to contact with the wall of the basket, means for rotating the scrapers around the screw comprising a vertical rod engaging both Scrapers and extending out through the top of the basket, a lever, operating means connected to said lever for shifting said rod in an arc of which the screw is the center, and means for manually rotating said screw.

6. In an apparatus for refining sugar, a plurality of rotatable baskets each open at its upper end, a trough common to all of said baskets, a plurality of measuring tanks disposed between the trough and said basiio kets therein, a.l measuring tank -for each basket, singlemeans for controlling the passage of material from the trough into the tanks, single means for controlling the passage of the material from the tanks into the baskets, means Common to all of said baskets for rotating the baskets, means for vsimultaneously controlling the rotational speed of the baskets, scraping means for each basket, and single means for controlling the scraping means of all of the baskets.'

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature.

MLAURICE C. MEIKLE. 

